Articles from 2005
Proof Of Age
FHM | May, 2005
It’s okay – you won’t go to jail for looking at these photos of a purring Nikki Webster playing the sex siren. It’s her 18th birthday, and this is her
coming-of-age photo shoot
Was it hard posing for this shoot, considering you don't usually appear in mags like FHM? This is certainly a change of pace from the shoot you did for Barbie magazine...
No, it was great. When I was approached to do this shoot as a celebration of turning 18, the one thing I wanted was to have some control, because of everything that was bound to follow once it hit the stores. But I was happy with the way it went and I tried to make myself look as glamorous as I could.
So when are you legal... er, 18?
On April 30 - that's the big date.
Break out the yard glass, then! Do people still think of you as the little girl who flew at the Olympics?
Yeah, I get it a lot but it doesn't worry me too much. It's given me my career, but then people forget I am getting older and I'm not living in a bubble. Everyone is getting older and so am I.
Do you think people be shocked to see you in FHM?
I think it'll shock people, just the fact I've posed for a men's magazine. When people hear it they'll be assuming I'm in lingerie or a skimpy bikini.
So there might be some people disappointed then? They might want you in a G-string...
Yeah, but it's still a Nikki Webster they haven't seen before, it's a progression from what they know and expect and of me.
Do you think you'll gain some new fans?
I hope I gain the boys [laughs], that would be a plus! I hope I just broaden my fan base, really.
And what does your mum think of the shoot?
[Laughs] She thought it was a great idea. Dad was a bit scared at the beginning but he loved the shots. I wouldn't have done it if my parents weren't so supportive, but they were behind me all the way.
Is Nikki Webster a sexy person?
I think I'm the wrong person to ask! I've grown up a lot, especially in the last six months, and it's quite scary because it's happening so quickly. I guess, yeah, I'm a woman now, I'm almost 18, I'm different now. But you'd have to ask your readers that.
Will it take things like appearing in FHM to make people realise you are an adult now?
Yeah, and with Dancing With The Stars as well. I think I look more like an adult now, less like a kid.
The last winner of Dancing With The Stars got engaged to Lleyton Hewitt - are you keen on anyone? Maybe Michael Clarke, isn't he available?
You know, if I could get a ring like Bec's [Cartwright] I'd be sold! No, I think he's a bit untouchable. I don't have my eyes on anyone famous just yet.
What about the rumours about your partner on Dancing With The Stars? Was there more than just ballroom dancing going on?
There is speculation and I'm not denying anything and I'm not admitting to anything. But no, I don't have a boyfriend at the moment, so I'm... free!
Hurrah to that! You've done dance music and pop music, but will we see a Nikki Webster death metal album any time soon?
Maybe not death metal [laughs]. It's definitely time for me to get out there and find a unique sound for myself, but I'm not sure about death metal.
Don't be so hasty, it could be great: tattoos, shaved head, biting the heads off animals...
Mmm, I don't think my change will be that dramatic. I really can't see it...
Now, Nikki, 'fess up: what's Daryl Somers like? Does he throw tanties? Demand his own trailer?
Not at all, he's the loveliest person. When all the controversy was happening about me getting kicked off the show he took the time to write me a personal, supportive letter. Before I met Daryl, I was thinking, 'wow, I'm going to work with the Hey Hey It's Saturday man' at first because I loved that show when I was growing up, but he was really down to earth.
Does it scare you how quickly the Aussie public and the media can turn on someone like you, when they were calling for your head on Dancing With The Stars? It was pretty brutal for a while there...
It is really scary, it's so unpredictable. I thought Dancing With The Stars would be pretty simple - dance each week and raise money for charity - and all of a sudden, bang, week two and it started. I think it hit me the hardest because I wasn't expecting it, whereas before I was prepared for the tall poppy syndrome.
Did you come close to actually leaving the show?
Yeah, I thought about it. I didn't think I deserved it, I didn't think I needed to be knocked down. I didn't do anything. Everyone knew I had dance training, I'm not denying that, but I haven't competed professionally for quite a few years and I haven't done ballroom dancing. I was pretty close to leaving but everyone on the show supported me to stay on.
Nicole Kidman has always had her private life scrutinized by the media. Does it worry you that you could experience the same sort of thing?
You have to be prepared for it, you have to get accustomed to it very early, and I did at 13. I take things pretty lightly, even when it is very hurtful. But; you have to remember you're doing it because it's what you want to do - and for every person out there who wants to attack you, there's plenty more in your corner.
Now, someone else who used to have a squeaky clean image and then went completely off the tracks is Britney Spears. Can we expect any Las Vegas 24hour marriages from Nikki Webster?
Definitely not [laughs]. I'm not planning to run off and marry some guy I went to school with and then divorce him the next day. That's not my cup of tea.
Why do you reckon poor old Britney has gone from nice, churchgoing chick to drunken slob?
She probably didn't have full control over her career and so she wanted to rebel. I don't feel like that at all.
Kylie Minogue uses her bum to sell records - would you don gold hotpants to get a platinum album?
If I looked as good as Kylie in hotpants, definitely! She's got to have one of the best bums in the world and if you've got it you might as well flaunt it. I would [laughs]. I think if I did it I'd be known as the copycat Kylie, so I'll have to work out something original. We might have to brainstorm on that one!
After seeing these hot pics, we're sure our readers will be more than willing to help you out there...
[View scans from this article]